Three new black belts were awarded when the Black Hawks Martial Arts Management Network Association held its annual martial arts grading at the National Gymnasium last Saturday.
Among the 29 students selected for grading in this year’s competition were 10 yellow belts, three orange and three new black belts. The black belts were awarded to Delroy Headly, Nicholas Braithwaite and Roshan Samsundar respectively.
The martial arts display was graded on breaking blocks and sticks, throws, and self-defense and each student had to defend against another opponent and to prove themselves.
The age range of the students was from six to 30-years-old. The judges were Professor Christopher Francis, founder and chief instructor of the organization and also a 10 degree black belt. He was accompanied by Sensei Garfield Newton, who is a fourth degree black belt holder and also a member of the organization.
According to Francis, he was pleased with the performance of the students since they had worked hard enough to achieve their awards.
“All of the hard work and effort that they put into this finally paid off, and hopefully they will work even harder next year,” Francis noted.
“I’m also pleased with the performance at this year’s physical displays, all the students have worked their way to the top and it’s good to see everyone smiling and being proud of themselves,” Newton said.
